Share this:

Serra High School defensive end Nusi Malani, 18, poses for a photograph in San Mateo, Calif., on Friday, July 19, 2019. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

Serra High School defensive end Nusi Malani, 18, poses for a photograph in San Mateo, Calif., on Friday, July 19, 2019. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

Serra High School defensive end Nusi Malani, 18, poses for a photograph in San Mateo, Calif., on Friday, July 19, 2019. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

Saint Francis High’s Opeti Fangupo (11) runs for a first down before being tackled by Serra High’s Nusi Malani (27) in the first quarter of their Central Coast Section Open Division II semifinal playoff game in Mountain View, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 23, 2018. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

Editor’s note: This is part of our monthlong football previews of teams and players.

SAN MATEO — It won’t be fun this fall for anyone forced to face Serra defensive end Nusi Malani.

The 18-year-old is a 6-foot-6, 270-pound behemoth with a team-oriented disruptive mindset in the trenches.

“I need to win the battle,” Malani said. “Just do your job and everything will fall in line.”

It’s been all work in the offseason after a 7-5 campaign that didn’t meet expectations following a state title in 2017.

“I feel like we were more prepared this summer mentally, physically and spiritually,” Malani said. “And I feel like we’re really going to get after it this year.”
For more Bay Area high school sports coverage follow Bay Area Preps on Flipboard.

Priorities in the weight room and on the field included conditioning, technique on engagements and get offs along with hand and hip movements.

“He’s obviously a big, physical player and will definitely be the heartbeat of our line,” Serra coach Patrick Walsh said. “He’s also emerged as one of our leaders and really cares about Serra football and has a good, strong voice with the team. That, combined with having a full summer in the weight room, he’s prepared to have a big year as a senior.”

“A lot of coaches started hitting me up from the Mountain West,” Malani said.

He later heard from Nebraska, with a plan to visit in the middle of September, then Arizona State joined fellow Pac-12 member Colorado with a scholarship offer at the Sacramento State camp. BYU also offered.

If you have not already, we strongly encourage you to sign up for a digital subscription, which gives you access to all content on the Mercury News and East Bay Times websites. With your support, we can continue bringing these stories — and much more — to your screens. Here’s where to sign up for the season pass: Mercury News, East Bay Times.

Vytas Mazeika is a prep sports reporter for the Bay Area News Group. He covers athletics at every level, from high school to Stanford to the pros. Mazeika graduated from Carlmont High in 1994 and earned an English bachelor's degree from UCLA.